Why Star Wars still matters
Star Wars fanatics around the world have to celebrate the day indoors due to the global pandemic.
43 years after the release of Star Wars: A New Hope, fans of the space-opera franchise have been annually observing the event 'Star Wars Day' on May 4.
This year, however, Star Wars fanatics around the world have to celebrate the day indoors due to the global pandemic.
The event was not created by anyone associated with the films. Rather, the fans themselves started celebrating the day across the world.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Ever since the day's inception, it has been embraced by the film's original producer Lucasfilm and its parent company Disney.
The fan event originated from the catchphrase frequently used in Star Wars: May the force be with you - which can be used as a catchphrase for "May the 4th be with you."
Star Wars is a cultural staple that has influenced many other films. Its impact on pop culture has been incalculable. It is almost impossible to imagine films like "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "E.T.," "The Matrix," or "The Lord of the Rings." without Star Wars.
George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars universe, had to encounter bitter critics throughout the years who labelled Star Wars as nothing less than "ruining" Hollywood by turning it from the gritty, 'relevant' sophisticated films like The Godfather or Taxi Driver to juvenile fantasy. Unlike now, George Lucas was not taken seriously by the Hollywood elites back in the '80s.
In the meantime, Star Wars itself has become a cultural reference point: President Ronald Reagan used Star Wars pun to refer Russia as an 'evil empire'; Ted Kennedy did the same when he dubbed Reagan's pet strategic defense initiative the 'Star Wars program'; and the Oklahoma City bomber, Tim McVeigh, compared himself to Luke Skywalker destroying the Death Star. In the end, the cultural phenomenon struck back.
As the nine-part Skywalker saga ended last year with "Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker," the franchise is not wrapping up its legacy anytime soon.
Disney, the owner of Star Wars properties, have a slate full of Star Wars TV series, movies, animated shows and theme park rides.
The force, indeed, is alive and kicking.
